Hugot Lines and Status in Social Media Using the Millennial Language

of Senior High School Students

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A Research

Presented to

The Faculty of the Senior High School Maximo L. Gatlabayan Memorial National High School

Antipolo City

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In Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for Practical Research 1

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Jhon Michael Ruiz

Brian Edgar Hinampas

Ernalyn Angela Orpilla

Eunice Iledan

Clifford Lito

July 2019
 Chapter I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKROUND

Introduction:

Millennial language is a rich source of new words and phrases which, as fast as they are created
by this generation, are then quickly adopted by the mainstream. Millennial Language is the product of the
relationship that the millennial generation have with the older generations, Generation X and the Baby
Boomers – and also the product of the tech revolution. Millennial’s, also known as Gen Y, were born in the
80’s and 90’s and are the generation that are totally at ease with electronic gadgetry and internet technology
and all the concepts around this 21st Century Technological revolution. The language of boomers – ‘cat’
for person, ‘psyche’, ‘groovy’ – are missing from millennial language or – as in ‘groovy’ are used but in a
serious way. The millennial generation are a huge demographic – some 80 million which is 3 times the size
of Generation X, the generation before them. Their tastes in food, in decor, in travel choices, in language
set them apart from other generations. With their huge numbers, people are listening. They have become
the taste-makers, in language as much as in anything else (Monro,2017).

Word “hugot” is a Filipino word which means “to draw or to pull out”. In other terms, the word is
usually used when you want to draw emotion out of something. The best examples are expressed especially
when heartbroken. Nowadays, while browsing through social media, people come across lines that make
them stop and think about their own feelings. It is also uncommon to hear people comment “Hugot “in
response to what other says. Whether it’s about love and relationship or even just about life. In general,
certain words and phrases seem to effortlessly tug on Filipinos’ heartstrings. From banats to bad pinoy
puns, we now have hugot. Witty Filipinos never ceases to find enjoyment in playing with language in all of
is forms the hugot another means of expressions not only from wit, but also for emotions that resonate with
Filipinos everywhere. (Dyrit et al, 2017).

(Kaplan,2010) Social media are defined as “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the
ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-
generated content”.

Social media has become an integral part of all of our lives. We use it to connect with friends and
family, to catch up on current events, and, perhaps most importantly, to entertain ourselves. Social media
is understood as the different forms of online communication use by people to create networks,
communities, and collectives to share information, ideas, message, and other content, such as videos.

Social media has become such a great avenue for this interaction, too. Facebook and Twitter have
succeeded in carrying over this culture through the memes that pop up on our news feeds and timelines.
Sometimes, all we need is to know that there are people out there going through the same letdowns we
are, and outlets such as these allow for that reassurance. Some hugot are plucked out from the deepest
disappointments, while others carry a certain wit that makes heartbreak seem a little less serious.

Whether or not we feel that these lines are intended for us, others do find them comforting and
helpful, and that could be the positivity these hugot have to offer. Sometimes, however, hugot lose their
magic, like for when they are delivered at the wrong time, or are just too forced. Often, these lines only work
in situations that make attaining love seem impossible. (Terell,2016)

(Mapua I.T) Nowadays, current situation of hugot lines became a huge part of the daily
conversations of Filipinos for it makes the exchange a lot entertaining and relatable considering the
similar past experiences each and every one has experienced. “It is a cultural phenomenon
because there is social contagion. Nagkakahawaan. Nagkakagayahan. (Imitation)”, as declared by
Professor Ocean. Thus, this could be traced back to the culture of our fellowmen.
 These words may seem simple, but feelings and emotions are enclosed in it giving it a
deeper meaning. Filipinos, described as such, create hugot lines out of something and even nowhere
on the sole basis on their deep emotions when they are in love and the sad experiences, they went
through therein making the hugots more appealing to the emotions of everyone thus, becoming a
hit to the whole nation.

Filipino humor has always involved a certain degree of self-deprecation. But there is oftentimes a
grain of truth to one’s ‘hugot lines’; one’s own love life is recruited as a subtext that makes them all the
funnier and more meaningful. Hugot, indeed, allows us not just to pay tribute to the importance of love in
our lives, but also to romanticize our states of love lessness. (Lasco, 2017)

Many people have come up with hugot lines that are related to school, teachers, students,
deadlines, and exams. Nowadays, coming up with hugot lines seems normal to many individuals. These
lines refer to statements expressing feelings or sentiments associated with certain events. Students are
undeniably fond of this. When deadlines become more frightening, when teachers feel overloaded, when
there is no class no doubt to post such hugots in social media, these lines seem to pop on students’ and
event peers’ minds instantly. Probably this is the reason why the researchers conducting this research.

Review of Related Literature

Hugot Lines

Hugot is believed to be the figurative, albeit extreme use of its traditional meaning. Hugot is a
Filipino word that means, “To pull out”. In a sense, the trend use of Hugot as of today is non-literal definition
of the word to pull out feelings from somewhere deep within; to pull sentimental memories, experiences,
(Echo, 2015).

The concept of Hugot is nothing new; in fact, its influence on literature can vastly be seen even
from classic works or even beyond those. This use of rhetoric to get a particular reader’s response is
believed to be vital in literature. Even though, this concept is going on for some quite time, it is only currently
the term Hugot is coined.

Historically, how the trend Hugot is coined can be seen theoretically on past trends, which are the
emo-culture, Banat, and pick-up lines.

In the early 2000s-2005, the emo-culture had widely propagated from the western culture. Locally,
here in the Philippines, emo-culture had also affected music such as OPM/emo bands e.g. Silent Sanctuary.
This emoculture relies on experiences in order to sway listeners and gain popularity. One example is FM
Static’s Tonight. It is believed that the songwriter of this song based his work on the death of his girlfriend
who was a victim of the 9/11 bombing.

After the emo-culture comes banat. “Kapaghinabolako ng crush ko, babagalan ko”, “Pag
namatayako, wag kang pupunta saburol ko kasipagnakitakita, bakatumibokulit ang puso ko”. This one to
two-liner is closely associated with Hugot since they also encompass sentimental undertones that are
mainly about love.

A deviation from banat is the pick-up line. However, unlike banat, which is usually one to two-liner,
a progression has been made on the pickup line. A transition for the lines has been added. “Kape ka ba” is
the one liner followed by “Bakit?” which is the transitory phrase leading to an ‘effect’/action which is the
closing statement’ thereby, it can also be inferred that the first line is the cause’/initiator of the action. Getting
the experience from the emo-culture and the initiator-of-the action from the banat, Hugot surfaces.
 The Filipino never ceases to find enjoyment in playing with language in all its forms—the Hugot is
another means of expression not only for wit but also for emotions that resonate with Filipinos everywhere.
It is used for saying something abstract such as “Sana buwan nalangako” would be the initiator of the
action, “Para ako nalang ang lagi mong tinitignan” this part refers to the experience wherein readers can
relate to the statement by remembering events from their past or pulling out deep-seeded feelings. Hugot
literally refers to the action of pulling something out, but Filipinos use this word today in a more figurative
sense. “We use it in the current trend as ‘pulling something out from somewhere deep,’ often emotionally,”
says Director for the Eugenio Lopez Jr. Center for Multimedia Communication Ayo Supangco.

Social Context of Hugot culture has come a long way to attain its place among the Filipino
colloquialisms of today, specifically on social media. These new avenues have, among many other things,
transformed the process of sharing emotions. Hugot has been taking the social media as a means of
proliferation of one’s kind. The viral nature of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter
combined with the nature of Filipino communities makes easy for such lines to gain attention.
According to Marco Dayrit, whenever one includes emotions, especially negative ones, in a post, it
is inevitable that people will respond.

Facebook and Twitter are the most utilized social media in sharing and duplicating Hugot into
different variations. Pages in Facebook like Medyo Maldito, Jomie Hospital 2.0 have been producing short
films that contain Hugots in it. These people, in the record, have happened to post their videos on social
media and became an instant trend since people tend to relate on their short videos. In one way or another,
it can be seen on those videos the angsty, melodramatic images with sympathetic messages in them.

Hugot may also come in different varieties: from a quotation in the movie, a sunset with texts, a
couple holding hands with captions, and others. These paraphernalia are meant to sway people’s emotions
by pulling from something deep within themselves, from their experiences (Echo, 2015). Therefore, the
readers can experience Hugot through the help of these varieties of Hugot itself.

Social Media

UlHaq & Chand (2012) investigated the usage and popularity of famous social media network
(Facebook) among university students with special focus on the gender-based comparison and the impact
of the selected social medium on their academic performance. Further analysis reveals that among these
61%, majority of the respondents were male. In addition to adverse effects of Facebook on academic
performance, there was also an opinion that use of Facebook makes it hard for them to perform the best
on their career performance. However, the researcher feels that the later opinion is not very clear and
established and needs further investigation. These research analysis s hows that using social media
especially in terms of using Facebook is equally popular among male and female student of the university
under study. They are both undertaking through analyzing a random sample of respondents. Hamat, Embi,
& Hassan (2012) studied the use of social networking platforms among undergraduate and postgraduate
students of Malaysian institutes of higher education.

Negussie & Ketema (2014) further investigated if there is any impact of using Facebook while
accessing through different devices. Among a variety of devices, it was found that the correlation between
using Facebook on mobile devices and students’ grades is highly negative as compared to using Facebook
on other devices. This adverse effect is explained by the fact that using cellphones for social networking
activities may involve multitasking and all students are not equally.

The social media or the Internet in general has the capacity of changing our language. Every now
and then, a new word is added and of course, every netizen begins to use these for communication in social
media and even in their everyday lives. The Internet has its own language called “netspeak”. Not only does
net speak focus on acronyms such as OMG and LOL but also on online trends and new words that are
being discovered. (Desta, 2014).
 According to Christopher Poole in an interview, “Language itself changes slowly but the internet
has speeded up the process of those changes so you notice them more quickly" (as cited in Kleinman,
2010).The changes are easily noticeable due to the growing number of acronyms and abbreviations that
are now used in communication even those nouns that are now considered as verbs. The best example is
the word Google. “Gary Price reports that "Google" is now officially a verb in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Google already is a verb in some other dictionaries, but the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is considered
the most authoritative dictionary of the English language” (Swartz, 2006). As mentioned above, acronyms
are also proof that we can see the change in the Internet and social media. We encounter acronyms such
as BRB, OMG, WTF and TBH in the social media which mean Be Right Back, oh my Gosh, What the fuck
to be honest perspectively.

These are called Social Media Acronyms (SMA). “Acronyms are universal phenomena of
systematic abbreviation of expressions, and represent the most productive source of new lexicon items for
many languages.” (Zahariev, 2004)

The use of acronyms is favored by the government and some business companies: DENR
(Department of Environment and Natural Resources), DOH (Department of Health) and DPWH
(Department of Public Works and Highways) to name a few in the Philippines. These are few of the most
important acronyms in the country and if the government and business companies can use them, then it
can mean that it is significant to use acronyms. Internet acronyms are imperative because it brings
convenience to the users of social media. “Acronyms are widely popular across the Internet, especially on
social media and texting apps, because, in some cases, they offer shorthand for communication that is
meant to be instant” (Wallace, 2015).

They provide faster and easier way of communication since SMAs turn phrases, or even sentences
into much shorter words. It is convenient for everyone, especially the teenage netizens since it goes with
their generation. The use of Internet acronyms could be essential to the youth’s learning. Since most
students are living in the world that uses Internet for research and communication, educators should take
this opportunity to teach with the use of Internet acronyms/slang since the students are into this type of
language.

(Social Media Usage) On the basis of the above definition, many types of technology which have
been supported by the internet (and indeed non-internet technologies) could be conceived of as social
media. Certainly, social media have been part of the internet since its earliest foundational days, in the form
of things such as Usenet discussion groups; whilst the World Wide Web itself was also conceived of in
broadly social terms when it was created.3 Hence there is a sense in which social media have a long
history.

However current academic and industry interest in social media is much more recent (dating back
around five years). This interest has been driven by the rapidly broadening user base for social media
technologies, which is of course related to the continuing spread of internet use itself (approximately 73%
of the UK’s population accessed the internet every day in 20134). The rise in social media use has been
rapid: in 2011, approximately 60% of internet users were also social media users, up from just 17% in
2007.5 much of this change has been driven by the emergence of a small number of “mass appeal” social
media websites, of which Twitter and Facebook are the obvious examples. These sites are characterized
by their ease of use, their generic nature (i.e. they eschew focus on a particular subject or area of interest)
and their wide penetration, meaning that significant portions of the population have created an account
(though it should be remembered that not all of these people use these accounts regularly). This mass
usage creates a kind of “network effect” which helps promote further uptake, as people now have an
incentive to join Facebook because many of their friends are already there.6 A March 2013 survey of the
size of Facebook, which is by far the biggest social network in terms of user numbers, estimated the number
of UK accounts at over 30 million (though it should be noted that an account does not necessarily equal a
“person”: some people may operate multiple accounts, businesses and organizations also run accounts
and for various reasons others create fake accounts).
 Of course, there are no guarantees that sites such as Twitter and Facebook will continue to grow
and prosper. Recent history presents several examples of sites, such as Bebo and Myspace, which went
from enjoying significant usage bases to relative obscurity in a short space of time (in 2007, for example,
My Space received more visits than Google did in the US). However, there is also a sense in which the
current leaders appear to have learnt from some of the mistakes made by these previously dominant sites,
and certainly appear to be well positioned to last for a significant amount of time. ( Bruns,2008 )

Millennial Language

(Wahyuni et al,2008) Language can be varieties based on the several different points of view
including the way it is used, made Swaminarayan mentions language varieties are classified in the formality,
the stratification, and the various professional fields to which the lexicon of the language is normally
associated, such as the language variety according to formality there are formal and informal language.
The formal language variety is referred to the variety used in the writing official letters, government
document, research report, business meetings, college lectures, and academic seminars.

Formal language used in the formal situation. As we see the meaning of formal language variety
above, language almost used in the formal situation and formal place such as in the college, office etc. But
not all of people used formal language in their everyday conversation. They used informal language when
they do communication although they used it in the formal place

The informal English language variety is sometimes referred to as the casual or colloquial style.
Casual or colloquial English words are more in spoken than in the written English variety. We use informal
words when talking with family, friends in meal time, neighbors, at school, at works, or among colleagues.

Many experts that is defined the essential of slang. Some of them mention below. According to
Yule, Slang, or „colloquial speech‟, describes words or phrases that are used instead of more everyday
terms among younger speakers and other groups with special interests
.
Widarso said Slang is a nonstandard word which popular and used by certain group, such as youth
group, college group, jazz group, and so on.

Chaer and Agustina, the meaning of slang is the social variation which is secretly and specific. It
means, this variation is used by certain community and it has a limitation. That is it did not have to be
understood by other community. So that way, the words of slang always change. Slang is temporal, it
generally used by teenager.

As Holmes stated that people in a society may speak some varieties of language in accordance to
different social climates they meet.8 It is true that people should know whether they are in informal or formal
situation. When people speak, they should understand well about situation around. It is important in
choosing appropriate language that will be used, formal style ornon formal one. The use of slang language
can be affected by some social factors such as age, gender, status, etc. Slang is another area of vocabulary
which reflect a person’s age.

According to Stenström (2000: 89, Slang is very difficult to define. Even so, she presents a general
definition that slang:

Includes the vocabulary of ‘the underworld’ (street gangs, drug- trafficking) as well as the specific
vocabulary of ‘a particular group or profession’ and colloquial language ‘below the level of standard
educated speech’, consisting of ‘new words or of current words employed in some new special sense’
 Slang is often found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo. It is often used to
identify that slang as a teenager’s language. It is common among teenagers, people of all ages and social
groups. For this reason, slang vocabularies are particularly dominant with violence, crime, drugs, and sex.

(Hartman,1985) state that a variety of speech characterized by newly coined and rapidly changed
vocabulary, used by young or social or professional groups for ‘in group’ communication and thus tending
to prevent understanding by the rest of the speech community. From the statement, young people can
create a new vocabulary or words for daily conversation among their group. They use slang language to
communicate in internal way to make other groups misunderstand.

Slang can be the identity of a region that can only be understood by the people in it. However,
slang can spread beyond the region through music, movies or video games. The used of slang by other
people outside the region and often pronounced like the word "cool", the word can lose its identity as slang.
When slang spreads to other regions, the people, in that region, often replaced the common slang word in
the other words that cannot be understood by people outside of the group to show their identity.

According to Monro (2017) Millennial language is a rich source of new words and phrases which,
as fast as they are created by this generation, are then quickly adopted by the mainstream. Millennial
Language is the product of the relationship that the millennial generation have with the older generations,
Generation X and the Baby Boomers – and also the product of the tech revolution. Millennia’s, also known
as Gen Y, were born in the 80’s and 90’s and are the generation that are totally at ease with electronic
gadgetry and internet technology and all the concepts around this 21st Century Technological revolution.

The language of boomers ‘cat’ for person, ‘psyche ‘groovy’ are missing from millennial language
or – as in ‘groovy’ are used but in a serious way. The millennial generation are a huge demographic some
80 million which is 3 times the size of Generation X, the generation before them. Their tastes in food, in
decor, in travel choices, in language set them apart from other generations. With their huge numbers,
people are listening. They have become the taste-makers, in language as much as in anything else.
Statement of the Problem

This study aims to analyze the millennial language using the hugot lines and status in social
media of grade 11 students in Maximo L. Gatlabayan Memorial NHS.

Specifically seek to answer the following questions:

1. What are the most millennial language being used in hugot lines in social media of
respondents?

2. How does the millennial language affect their communication with Parents and Teachers?

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using millennial language to social media?

4. What is the status of hugot lines in social media?

5. What triggers millennial to post such hugots?

Significance of the Study

The results of the study will be of great benefit to the following:

School- This study will help the school of having a unique theme, motifs in terms on having a School
programs and Activities.

Teachers – Through this study teachers may help in terms of teaching like the Figure of Speech.

Student – In this study the students in terms relating of conversation with their peers.

Community – This study will help the community to relate in terms of their daily communication.

Researcher –Trough this study the researchers may in finding the background and history of hugot lines
and social media. Also, may determine the reasons what triggers millennials post such hugots.
Definition of terms

Hugot Lines- This term refers to a Filipino word that means “to pull out”. The concurrent definition of the
word Hugot believed to be the figurative, albeit extreme, use of it is the collective of online
communications channels dedicated to communicate traditional meaning.

Social Media – This term is referring to input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration.

Millennial language- This term is referring to a rich source of new words and phrases which, as fast as
they are created by this generation, are then quickly adopted by the mainstream.

Senior High School- This term is referring to high school offering the last years of secondary education,
usually consisting of grades 10, 11, and 12.

Communication – This term is referring to a process by which information is exchanged between

individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior.

Scope and Delimitation

This study is mainly concerned with the status and different hugot lines in social media using the
millennial language. The respondents are being chosen according to the researcher’s perception of status
in social media of hugot lines by the use of millennial language. This study limits the respondents which is
selected students in senior high school in Maximo L Gatlabayan Memorial National High School. Interview
was used in the selection of the respondents. However, it is limited only for ages 16 years old and above.
This study’s selection is necessary because there some posers that are just posting such hugots in social
media for the sake of their enjoyment and there many people are saying the truth through posting such
hugot lines based on their experience and current situation.

The respondents are chosen in accord with their status in social media which gave feedback based
on the emotion of hugot lines using the millennial language. Moreover, the analyzation of hugot lines are
partly based on the status that happens on the result from the interview. This analysis of this study is mainly
focused to determined the hugot lines using the millennial language and status in social media.
INSTRUMENT

Interview Guide:

1. What are the most millennial language being used in hugot lines in social media of
respondents?
2. How does the millennial language affect their communication with Parents and
Teachers?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using millennial language to social
media?
4. What is the status of hugot lines in social media?
5. What triggers millennial to post such hugots?
6. As a student, do you think millennial language can help in your academic performance?
In terms of what?
7. Do you belong to those people who post such hugots in social media?
Scope and Delimitation